Expert: Tom Whiting - 11/7/2011

Question
QUESTION: On my google sky map I notice brown clouds extending from the north pole, down past the moon and to the south pole. Is this the Milky Way, or as my daughter told me, could be the galaxy line, whatever that is!!!

ANSWER: Hi Trish,
Probably, but on most charts the Milky Way swath is colored dark blue. The 1st quarter moon tonight is located just under the Handle of Aquarius, which is slightly to the east (left on a normal star chart) of the Milky Way.  Just to check, see if your "brown cloud" goes down through
Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Aquila, eastern side of Ophiuchus, and onward down through Sagittarius and the eastern side of Scorpius.  If so, that's the Milky Way... our own galaxy seen edge-on, as
we are in it.
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA
PS... by galaxy "line" she may mean the center line of our galaxy, also called the Galactic Equator, but that's just a single 2 dimensional line with no thickness. Even edge on, our galaxy does have some thickness, with the Galactic equator roughly right down the middle of your brown cloud.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Oh my goodness Tom, you are so imformative!!!!  Wow!! My daughter read your answer and told me she meant Milky Way, but we both agree you told us some good stuff!! Thank you soooo much!!

We will also enjoy the second encore of the Northern Lights this weekend.

Very grateful,

Trish

Answer
Hi Trish,
You're welcome.  Tough to see those northern lights, even from Michigan, with a near full moon.
I'll wait until the moon is out of our sky.
Plus we need a strong CME (Coronal Mass ejection) from the sun before the aurora are visible south of the Canadian border. Check www.spaceweather.com for those CME's.

Clear Skies,
Tom